Baguio City cracks down on illegal constructions, including in watersheds
MORE than 200 new construction projects across Baguio have been ordered to stop for lack of a building permit, the city government reported Friday.
City Buildings and Architecture Office (CBAO) head Johnny A. Degay said the 223 illegal construction works were located in various private and public properties.
The violators were discovered during monitoring operations conducted beginning April 1 based on a directive from Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong to ensure strict compliance to building permit regulations.
Donald A. Gas-ib, head of the CBAO Investigation and Demolition Division, said 94 of these constructions are on titled lots while 106 are on unregistered lots. The remaining 23 were found encroaching in the road right-of-way.
Under the Baguio Anti-Squatting and Illegal Structures (BASIS) campaign, the city government has been cracking down on illegal structures and unregistered constructions.
“We are taking this campaign seriously since this is a very crucial issue in our city,” Mr. Magalong said.
“It is not just an issue of safety but also of health and sanitation, all of which are critical factors affecting the well-being of our residents.”
The CBAO earlier conducted a census of existing structures in the city and found that 80% or 96,000 of the 120,000 structures have no building permits.
Meanwhile, 26 illegal constructions were also discovered in three of Baguio’s watersheds.
City Legal Officer Althea Rosanna V. Alberto said they are now preparing demolition orders against these structures, some of which are “large” and made of concrete materials.
The mayor earlier ordered an intensified watch over watersheds against illegal settlers to protect the city’s forest reservations. — Artemio A. Dumlao
